Here’s everything you need to know about Assetto Corsa Evo

Assetto Corsa Evo has just gone public, peeling back the proverbial covers to reveal a tantalising third racing sim from Kunos Simulazioni.

Like the 2014 original - and unlike 2019’s Assetto Corsa Competizione - Evo will feature a mix of road and race vehicles on licensed tracks. It’s also running in the studio’s own proprietary game engine, something of a rarity in this era of Unreal Engine ubiquity.

Quite the powerhouse it is too, judging by the scant selection of screenshots so far. Vehicle exteriors and interiors look equally lavished in detail. The rear lights on that Mercedes-Benz 190E Evo II look so tactile, we just want to run our knuckles along the grooves. We’ll settle for simply driving it though, just to be clear.

How many cars have been confirmed so far?

Kunos Simulazioni hasn’t released a full car list yet, but over at traxion.gg they’ve compiled a list of every vehicle spotted so far in screenshots.

Included are two variants of the Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm, Alpine’s A110 and A110S, along with the wild electric hot hatch concept, the A290.

Speaking of wild concept vehicles, we’re particularly pleased to see the Hyundai N Vision concept pop up here in its DeLorean-aping glory, joined by an i20N.

The Lamborghini Huracan STO is also on the roster, likewise Porsche’s 911 GT3 Cup (992) and 911 Turbo S (964), and finally the aforementioned Mercedes-Benz 190E Evo II and its enticingly textured brake lights.

Respect for those deep cuts. How about the tracks?

Info’s even lighter there, but three tracks have been shown to date: Imola, Brands Hatch, and the Nordschleife.

We’d expect that both the full car and track lists will be considerably beefier than that though, even on day one.

What about mod support?

A thorny question. The original game was basically built on user-created content, transforming the experience in countless different directions. However, modders don’t go round to car manufacturers and sit down with their legal teams to acquire vehicle licences, whereas Kunos is obliged to.

So it’s unlikely that you’ll hear the studio shouting about mods for this game – more likely, they’ll simply announce that mods will be supported, and leave it to the community from there.

When’s it coming out?

Until now, we’ve known nothing more than ‘at some point in 2024’. However the Steam page has gone live now so that’s an indication that it’s coming sooner rather than later. That lines up with studio owner Digital Bros’ earlier statements that an Early Access version would arrive this summer, although that hasn’t been confirmed on the Steam store page.

What’s new?

Other than those achingly gorgeous visuals? The playful way the light bounces off a Hyundai hub cap?

Yes, other than that.

Fine. Heathen. What we know so far is that dynamic weather and adjustable day-night transitions will feature. Modders filled in the gaps in this regard for 2014’s Assetto Corsa, but this time they’ll be developer-authored gameplay.

Kunos is also making bold claims about the underlying code powering the simulation: “A new mathematical model meticulously simulates asphalt performance in different dynamic weather conditions that guarantees an authentic and realistic experience which will redefine the standards that have made Assetto Corsa globally renowned.”

And who can argue with that? In other words: the LIDAR-scanned tracks will offer realistic grip levels in rain or sunshine because there’s some incredibly complex maths happening deep in your PC’s circuitry.

Is it only available on PC, then?

Initially, yes. But once again, Digital Bros’ earlier statements suggest it’ll reach consoles after the PC launch.

We’d expect to see all those lovingly virtualised chassis materials and LIDAR-scanned tracks in motion in the near future, so keep an eye out for a trailer in the coming weeks – if not an abrupt Early Access release on Steam. Studios love a soft launch these days.